Thus says the Lord: “Stand in the ways and see, And ask for the old paths, where the good way is, And walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls.”
—Jeremiah 6:16, to the people of Judah—

Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.
—Jonah 3:10—
The backstory of this verse is that in response to Jonah’s warning of impending divine judgment, the people of the city of Nineveh repented of their sins, and God mercifully turned away from his earlier plan to destroy it.

So rend your heart, and not your garments;
Return to the Lord your God,
For He is gracious and merciful,
Slow to anger, and of great kindness;
And He relents from doing harm.
—Joel 2:13—

Key point: The basis for American liberty isn’t personal autonomy; it’s pursuing one’s dreams and goals in accordance with “the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God.”

This post is excerpted from a larger article titled “Finding Freedom and Liberty Where Many Today Would Never Expect to Find Them,” which you can access here.

In an article I wrote in 2019 titled “Principles of Liberty,” my readers and I explored ten biblical principles embedded in the Declaration of Independence. That post is available here. Item #3 on or ten-item list of biblical truths in the Declaration stated,

God and His laws establish the track on which men and nations must travel to attain happiness, fulfillment, and greatness; and to reach their God-given potential.

John Trumbull / The Declaration of Independence

Here is a portion of what we said about this principle.

Our Founders knew that men and women cannot live fulfilled lives by merely following their whims and desires, treading down whatever paths their raw appetites direct them. Rather, they must “assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them.” The word entitle is important here, and it appears both in Jefferson’s draft and in the final document. Entitle as the Founders used it is light years away from the meanings it and its various forms frequently carry today. How do we know this? Because…

To continue reading, go here.

Copyright © 2024 by B. Nathaniel Sullivan. All rights reserved.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture passages have been taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

top photo credit: Photo by Werner Redlich